The Late Show with Stephen Colbert went out with a blast. The late-night talk show aired its final episode as 6.74 million viewers tuned in to CBS on Thursday, May 21, 2026, to watch the host bow out.
The huge number of audience reportedly made it the most watched weeknight episode during Stephen's tenure.
The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert drew 6.74 million viewers on Thursday, the highest ever on a weeknight during the hosts 11-year-run.
The number on the final day was more than twice the season's average viewership which was between 2.4 million and 2.7 million viewers per episode on CBS. The previous host of The Late Show, David Letterman had 13.7 million viewers for his farewell episode back in 2015.
The final episode was no doubt, emotional. Stephen Colbert, as he took on the role of host for one last time at the Ed Sullivan Theater, thanked the staff on the show and the audience both in front of him and on the side of the screen.
Some famous guests including Paul Rudd, Bryan Cranston, joined the last episode which closed out with two emotional performances. Stephen, Elvis Costello and Jon Batiste, who used to be bandleader on the show, performed Jump Up.
Finally, it was followed by another taped performance by Paul McCartney. Stephen also joined in as The Beatles star, Costello and others performed the famous classic, Hello, Goodbye.
The performance was quite the full circle moment because Paul performed at this very stage along with The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was abruptly cancelled. While Paramount said the decision was due to financial constraints, fans largely believe political pressure had a role to play.
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